A few days back the World Triathlon Corporation released the 2011 Kona pro qualification policy.

2011 PRO QUALIFYING POLICY

FORD IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFYING

Definitions

“Kona Qualifying” means qualification to the Ford Ironman World Championship held in Kona, Hawaii each year.
“Kona” means the Ford Ironman World Championship held in Kona, Hawaii each year.
“Races” means Ironman branded full-distance and 70.3 events worldwide that are authorized by the World Triathlon Corporation.
“Qualifying Year” means the period between September 1st and August 31st.
“Kona Pro Rankings” (KPR) means the ranking system to determine pro athlete eligibility for race at Kona.

Outline

Beginning with Ford Ironman Wisconsin and Subaru Ironman 70.3 Muskoka on September 12th, 2010, professional athletes will earn points for Kona Qualifying correlating to their finish position. The top 50 male and top 30 female pros in the KPR at the end of each Qualifying Year will qualify to race in Kona.

KPR scoring outline

* Athlete’s five highest scoring Races will count toward their KPR.
* Athletes may accumulate points from any combination of Races PROVIDED that each athlete:
* Completes at least one full-distance Ironman race during the Qualifying Year.
* Includes no more than three Ironman 70.3 races during the Qualifying Year.
* Scoring points in Kona DOES NOT fulfill the requirement that each ranked athlete must score in a full-distance Ironman during the Qualifying Year.
* Athletes are not required to do more than one full-distance Ironman race in the Qualifying Year to be ranked. Athletes may score with five full-distance Ironman races, if they choose.
* Athletes finishing Kona will be awarded points that are retained during that Qualifying Year and can be included as one of the athlete’s five highest scoring races.
* Points do not carry forward from one Qualifying Year to the next.

Qualifying Cut-offs

* The top 40 male and top 25 female pros in the KPR as of July 31st (July Qualifiers) will be qualified to race in Kona.
* The July Qualifiers are assured of a slot in Kona provided they enter the event according to registration procedures. Any slots not claimed will roll down to next highest qualifier.
* Ties resulting in more than 40 male or 25 female July Qualifiers will be broken by the Tiebreakers
* The highest scoring 10 male and 5 female pros in the KPR, not including the July Qualifiers, as of August 31st will qualify to race in Kona.
* No more than 10 male and 5 female pros may be August Qualifiers.
* Ties resulting in more than 10 male or 5 female August Qualifiers will be broken by the Tiebreakers.

Tiebreakers

Ties will be broken as follows:

* 1st Tiebreaker -- The total of each athlete’s (up to) five highest scoring full-distance Ironman events
* 2nd Tiebreaker – The athlete’s highest scoring race
* 3rd Tiebreaker – The athlete’s second highest scoring race
* 4th Tiebreaker – The athlete’s third highest scoring race
* In the event that two or more athletes remain tied after the 4th tiebreaker, all tied athletes will qualify.

Final Entry & Roll-Down

* The final KPR will be published as soon as possible after the last Race of the Qualifying Year (end of August) but not later than September 3rd.
* Qualified athletes will have until September 7th to complete on-line registration for Kona. A roll-down will be held for any unclaimed slots with entries rolling down to the next highest ranked athlete.

Automatic Qualifiers

* Past Kona champions will receive an invitation/exemption to enter the pro division in Kona for a period of five years after their last championship.
* Past champions will not be required to qualify during this five-year period.
* Past champions entering as pros will be required to validate their entry by completing a full-distance Ironman race during the Qualifying Year.
* Automatic Qualifiers will be accepted into Kona in addition to the 80 pro slots. If, for example, a returning champion is ranked in the top 30 women, the 31st ranked woman will qualify for Kona.

For a breakdown of the Ironman Kona Qualifying Points Table, the Events Listing and Prize Money Distribution visit ironmanusa.com and scroll down that page until you see 2011 Pro Qualification Policy.